Tongue-support



(No Model.) I E. HANSHAW.

TONGUE SUPPORT.

9N0 443, Patented Apr. 30. 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIAS I-IANSHAW, OF EUssELL, KENTUCKY.

TONGUE-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 402,443, dated April 30,1889.

Application filed January 18, 1889- Serial No. 296,713. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIAS HANSHAW, a citi-.

hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, andspecifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1- is a perspective view of a portion of avehicle having my improved support applied thereto in the operativeposition. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view of the support.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates the front axle of avehicle, to which the hounds B B are attached; and O designates thetongue, swiveled between the front ends of the-hounds. A transversemetallic bar, D, extends across the front of the vehicle, and is securedto the under sides of the hounds in front of the axle, and the ends ofthe said bar, which extend beyond the sides of the hounds, are providedwith apertures 01 d.

E E represent vertical adjust-able hooks provided with threaded shanks,which project downward through the apertures 01 d, and are engagedbelowthe bar D by the nuts F F, whereby the said hooks or hangers may beraised or lowered at will.

G represents. a semi-elliptic spring, which extends across the vehicleabove the hounds and parallel with the bar D, and swinging loops H H,which are connected to the ends of the said spring, are engaged with thehooks E E, which rise from the ends of the bar D.

The spring is provided at its center with a forwardly-extending arm, K,which is bolted to the upper side of the tongue, and the weight of thelatter is sustained by the spring in a horizontal position.

If it is desired to elevate the free end of the tongue, the adjustablehooks E E are drawn downward by tightening the nuts F F.

This device is simple, cheap, durable, and may be readily attached toany vehicle. It is unconnected with any of the working parts of thewagon-bed, and does not interfere with the operation of the whiffletreeor axle.

Having thus described the invention, I claim- As an improvement intongue-supports, the combination, with the hounds and the tongue pivotedbetween the ends of the same, of the transverse bar D, secured to theunder sides of the hounds and having perforated ends projecting beyondthe sides of the hounds, the leaf-spring having an arm, K, projectingforward from its center, the said arm being secured on the upper side ofthe tongue at the rear end of the same, and the ends of the springprojecting over the hounds, the swinging loops secured to the ends ofsaid spring, the hooks engaging said loops and having threaded lowerends projecting through the perforated ends of the bar D, and the nuts.on the lower ends of the hooks turning up against the said bar D, asspecified.

. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have heretoaffixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, ELIAS HANSHAW.

Witnesses CHARLES W. DAVIDSON, SAMUEL OoLEcRovE.

